This invention relates to an improved self-loading, remotely operable and variable, portable ball throwing device.
Both manual and automatically driven ball throwing mechanisms have been known in the art for quite some time. For example, a manual throwing device which holds a ball in a wire loop and "throws" a ball by knocking it out of the wire loop upon impact has been designed. An example of such a device is disclosed in Beasley, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,080,958 which incorporates the use of a wire loop on a handle which is pulled toward the top of a box and slammed against the box to cause the release of the ball. The operator of this Beasley device must remain behind the box to load the balls into the loop and to release the arms.
Another manually operated pitching machine is disclosed in Rowe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,813. The Rowe machine is a tripod designed to generally resemble a human being with a spring torsional arm that is drawn back by the batter to pick up a large softball. The batter then slips the pull string off of the bat as he stands at the plate, the arm is released and the softball is "thrown."
Yet another manually operated throwing device is disclosed in Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,076. This patent discloses a spring actuated throwing device designed to throw one ball, tethered to the ground, again and again. The ability to adjust the pitch up and down in the batter's box is limited and complicated to achieve, if at all. Any adjustments for speeds of pitches is equally difficult to achieve, if at all, and the device is complicated to assemble and position correctly. Also, the arm is limited in its range of motion.
Automatic ball machines, such as Nall, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,120, obviously require the presence of electricity and are typically mechanically complicated and expensive.
A drawback to the electrically powered ball throwers, and especially to the manually operated ball throwers known in the art, is that, should the batter desire to change the height of the pitch thrown, they require leaving the batter's box and making complicated and intricate changes that require considerable testing before the pitch is successfully changed. As a result, the ability to change the location of the pitch from pitch to pitch within the batter's box is nonexistent. Further, prior art devices are limited or incapable of altering the velocity of the pitches thrown; the height, either fly balls or ground balls, of the balls thrown; have no reliable self-loading mechanism; and cannot consistently throw a pitch over and over again in the same location.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing a ball throwing device which is remotely adjustable and operable; self-loading; capable of alternating pitches, one after the other, up and down, within the batting box; capable of producing high and low velocity pitches; capable of throwing fly and ground balls; and which is simple in design, collapsible, and portable.
It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide an improved remotely operable and variable, self-loading, portable ball throwing device.